Fence



(No Model.)

H. W. BARBER.

FENCE.

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Warren @r'arns PATENT Orricn.

HENRY IV: BARBER, OF ROCK CREEK, OHIO.

FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,648, dated March 19, 1889.

Application filed January 16, 1888. Serial No. 260,941. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY W. BARBER, of Rock Creek, in the county of Ashtabula and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fences; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to fences, and has for its object to construct a substantial fence l1aving panels so mounted that a gateway can be provided at any point in the line of fence.

'With this end in view the invention consists in mounting one post and its pivoted brace of a panel of fence ona pivoted platform; and it further consists in certain novel features of construction, hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in. the claim.

In. the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and are side elevations showing, respectively, fencepanels constructed partly of wood and partly of wire and constructed wholly of wood. Figs. 3 and 4E are end elevations, the latter showing more especially a device for swinging the panel on a pivot, so that such panel may serve as a gate.

A represents posts to which the bars a or wires a of the panel are attached, the posts at the top and some distance above the top board or wire being pivoted at a usually by means of a bolt, to the top end of brace B, the bolt of course extending through both post and brace. The posts and braces are usually of the same length, and in handling the fence the braces may be folded against the panels. The braces may be reversed-that is, turned over to the opposite side of the fence (see dotted lines, Fig. 3)so that the ground may be cultivated close to the fence-panel on either side. Hooks O are driven into the posts for supporting the tie-bars D.

In setting the fence the braces may be set out farther from the posts where the fence is in an exposed position, and the fence, for ordinary purposes, will hardly need any anchors. However, where it is considered desirable to use anchors, the latter need only be applied at long intervalssay once in five or six panels, (more or less.) Almost any style of anchor will answer the purposefor instance, rods, staples, or stakes driven in the ground, or large stones when such are at hand. The anchors are placed about midway of the lines of the braces and posts, and are usually connected by wires with the tie-bars, so that any strain on the fence draws the tie-bars more firmly upon their seat in the hooks.

By removing the tie-bars any panel may be set aside where a passage-way is required. It is frequently desirable to change suchpassage-way from time to time, so that ground will not be trodden hard or cut up by the frequent passage of teams or cattle through the gap. For the accomplishment of this purpose I provide means for converting a panel of the fence into a rude gate. This device consists of two pieces of wood, F and G, pivoted one upon the other at the center, the former resting on the ground and the latter having mortises g for receiving, respectively, the end of a post and brace. A washer, II, had better be inserted and placed on the pivotal bolt f between these two blocks of wood to lessen the friction in turning the gate. The one end of the panel is raised a trifle from the ground and the device is placed in position, and the end of the panel is lowered to bring the stake and post into the mortises, after which the other end of the panel may be swung around as a gate. This device is simple and inexpensive, and may be changed in a few minutes from one panel to another.

If desired, one post and brace of each panel may be mounted upon the pivoted platform permanently, so that a gateway can be provided at any point in the line of fence, such gates being held normally closed by means of the tie-bars D.

In Fig. 2 the wires are shown extending across two panels, in which case these two panels may be folded together for transportation, the wires bending between the inside posts. Blocks I are nailed to the opposing faces of these inside posts, and near the back side of the latter, so that when the two panels are brought in line the wires are drawn taut. Vhere wires are used, the posts, as shown in Fig. 2, are set at the extreme ends of the panel. There is a little saving of labor and material in making the wires run acrosstwo panels, as shown in Fig. 2; but of course, if preferred, the wires may be cut short, so that they will only extend across one panel, in

which case, of course, the blocks I will not be required.

The fence is simple in construction, and can be made at a small initial cost. For in- 5 stance, the posts and braces may be quite light as compared with ordinary posts, and, by reason of their not entering the ground, are much shorter than the ordinary posts.

I may add that the stakes and posts, or IO either of them, as a matter of course, may rest on blocking, and such would be desirable in case of soft ground.

What I claim is The combination, with afence panel, posts, and braces pivoted to the upper ends of the I 5 posts, of a cross-piece pivoted at its center to a blocking, said cross-piece having mortises therein adapted to receive the ends of the posts and braces, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I sign this specifica- 20 tion, in the presence oftwo witnesses, this 11th day of November, 1887.

HENRY WV. BARBER.

Witnesses:

CHAS. H. DORER,

ALBERT E. LYNCH. 

